Terms and Conditions

Unfortunately I have declare some "small print" in my terms of trade here. I have had a couple of people be awkward about payments (one who plain cheated, another who dangled the promise of new work for several months, without any funds to back it up). That's business, I know. The huge majority of my clients have been straight-forward and great to deal with. No doubt you will be too.

But in order to keep business-like, I have to require the following minimal conditions which help us both get along:

When you want to commit me working for you, I will sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement so long as the clauses are normal, reasonable and do not restrict me using "generic" or common technology in work for my other clients. In particular I will not disclose details of your project to other parties nor work for your competitors for a year after completing my association with you.

I will work in "chunks" of agreed hours, and require a payment 50% up front for a chunk. At the end of the chunk, you will pay the remainder. The chunk will probably not be a completion of a task. If the work is sub-standard then we will come to some agreement of how to proceed.

When you ask me to work for you, you disclose all the requirements that you are aware of. Don't withhold information which might force a U-turn in the software at a later date.

As well as sorting out your software, I will make every effort to provide you with the information you need to carry on after the job is done. This means that I will make sure you have all usernames, passwords and other facts to let you into your own accounts (not every developer does this). I will tell you how to maintain your system in any parts where I'm materially involved (eg how to make backups if I have organised that). Some developers are "territorial" about knowledge.